


Incoming Call

by SmileAndASong



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: 616 Day, Angst, Avengers Vol. 8 (2018), Canon Rewrite, Fluff and Angst, Getting Back Together, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Tony, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Relationship(s), Phone Calls & Telephones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 10:20:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14932404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmileAndASong/pseuds/SmileAndASong
Summary: “Steve...” Tony sighed softly. "I told you, the Avengers are not a good idea right now.”Steve crossed his arms, a knowing expression on his face. “The Avengers aren’t a good idea? Or you and I aren’t a good idea?”Steve knew, he always knew.





	Incoming Call

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is more or less a re-write of the start of Avengers Volume 8 and draws heavily on the 2018 Free Comic Book Day issue and #1 of the new run. [This page](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iaO-NMTko2U/Wu5OoF6vFKI/AAAAAAAAF48/07cXaJqfTHkukrX6Vxu8Wmus9c6KE4wQACHMYCw/s1600/RCO014.jpg) in particular where Steve calls Tony to re-assemble the Avengers was the direct inspiration. Here in my fic, Tony doesn't answer the call. He's probably a bit more emotional here than he is in the context of the actual comic, Tony Stark is no stranger to insecurity, so I just amplified that a bit.
> 
> I wrote this for 616 Day, and I did try to include several calls to past 616 Steve/Tony moments and quotes! I hope they are not /too/ overt to the point where it's cheesy, but just enough so it comes across as sweet and sentimental.
> 
> Happy 616 day, looking forward to another 50+ years of excellent Steve/Tony content, both in the canon and fanon! Thank you for taking the time to read, I hope you enjoy!

Tony looked up at the new notification on his screen: an incoming call. So much for having time to rest post-coma, but he honestly should have expected it sooner than later, the people he associated with were hardly the kind to let him rest. 

He glanced at the caller identification, and froze upon the realization of just /who/ was calling him. The temptation to answer the call was strong, he felt his fingers twitching to do so, but he restrained himself from fulfilling the desire. He knew the road the call would inevitably lead him down, though familiar and appealing, was also dangerous and agonizing. As much as he wanted it, he knew he was not ready for it. He couldn’t do it, at least, not yet. 

The window of opportunity was gone as quickly as it had come. Tony chose not to act, and the ringing ceased, leaving him with a feeling that was a mixture of relief and regret. 

A new notification displayed on his computer screen.

One missed call: Steve Rogers.

XXXXX

“Tony.”

Tony wasn’t surprised when Steve showed up, not even thirty minutes after the call had been ignored. Saying no to Steve was never that easy, he was notoriously stubborn, especially when it came to Tony. Tony somewhat regretted not taking the phone call, because now, all of this was going to be done face-to-face. He’d have to look at that beautiful face as he let him down once again.

Tony half-turned to face him. “You know, the door was closed for a reason. Who let you in? How did you even know I was here?”

“How I got in is not important,” Steve answered, moving further into the workshop. “And I just figured you’d be in a building with your name on it. Guess I was right.”

“Lucky guess,” Tony began. “And what, no flowers? I just woke up from a coma, I thought flowers were pretty customary for that sort of thing.”

Steve shrugged. “Sorry, must have slipped my mind. You ignored my call - why?” Steve seemed quite eager for an explanation, his tone impatient and a bit demanding.

Tony debated pretending that he didn’t notice the call. Steve would never believe it though, Tony was always glued to his tech, he’d have to go with something vague but believable for now. “I was just a little busy down here, you know how I get when I start working on a project. Especially since I can actually /feel/ things again, it’s amazing the simple things you miss when you’re brain-dead.”

“Good, you’re building armor again,” Steve seemed to calm down considerably as his gaze fell to the armor on the work table, because it was exactly what he wanted Tony to be doin. “It’s not going to do any of that scary stuff where it becomes apart of your mind and body, right?”

Tony shook his head. “No, I think even my mind could use something a bit simpler for now, post-coma and whatnot.” 

“Good, good…” Steve’s impatience and pushiness seemed to fade, instead replaced with a lingering awkwardness. He was clearly holding back from asking what he truly wanted to know. “You should take a break and come out for awhile, Thor is down at Valhalla’s bar and I was going to meet him there. We were hoping you’d join us, y’know, to celebrate all of us being 'back to normal'. That’s what I was /trying/ to call you about.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Are you encouraging me to drink? I know I just regained my consciousness, so some of my memories are probably a /little/ bit foggy, but even I can recognize what a horrible idea that is.”

“They have plenty of non-alcoholic drinks there. And you’re able to be around other people drinking, your willpower is incredible.” A famous Steve Rogers compliment, and about his sobriety no less, he couldn’t help but blush. Tony couldn’t let himself be smitten with memories of the past, he had to be transparent before he gave Steve the wrong idea. He knew he had to hurry it up and hurt Steve again.

“Alright, stop beating around the bush with the sweet-talking. We both know why you are here, so just come out and say it,” Tony stated irritably.

“I want you to join the Aveng-”

“No, I’m not interested.” Tony interrupted, turning away from Steve entirely, his attention going back to his work on the new armor. Even though he wasn’t looking at Steve, he could sense the soldier’s exasperation with his refusal.

Steve moved so he was standing on the opposite side of the work table, forcing himself in Tony’s line of sight. “You didn’t let me finish. I want to reform the Avengers, yes, and I want you to be apart of it,” Steve began. “It was honestly Thor’s idea, he was the one insistent about it and you being apart of the team. He seems to think something big is coming, and he wants us to be ready for it. He wants the Avengers and I do too, we work best as a team.”

Tony scoffed. “We work best as a team? I can think of at least five different times when the team fell apart entirely because we were fighting each-other. One of which, I’m sure you don’t need me to bring up.” Tony didn’t delve further, they did not need to go down /that/ path again. “The Avengers are trouble the world doesn’t need right now, Steve, and there are plenty of new heroes out there who can do a fine job of defending whatever threat Thor is worried about. The world doesn’t need us and all of the trouble we bring.”

“If not for us, half of those kids wouldn’t know how to be heroes! We were mentors for them, Tony, we paved the way! Think of how many heroes /they/ are going to inspire now, think of how many more heroes we can still inspire!” Steve exclaimed, his famous and unnerving passion present in his tone.

“I said no,” Tony replied. “I’m sorry, it’s not our time anymore.”

“Not our time!? Tony-” Steve picked up a piece of the armor from the table. “-you’re /building/, you’re making a new suit!”

“It’s just busy work, I told you, I just missed the feeling of creating it,” Tony attempted to refute.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Don’t lie to me, Tony, you’ve done it enough over the years and I can tell when you're doing it by now,” Steve’s words rang truer than Tony ever wanted to admit. He didn’t seem angry speaking them, at least. “You’re a hero and you know it. Are you really going to deprive the world of the invincible Iron Man? I know you want this Tony - I know you.”

Dammit. Why did Steve always have to believe in him?

“Alright, so maybe I am building new armor, and yeah, maybe I’m not ready to throw in the towel,” Tony admitted honestly, because lying to Steve was the last thing they needed /ever/ again.

“Then what’s the problem!?” Steve asked impatiently.

“Steve...” Tony sighed softly. “I told you, the Avengers are not a good idea.” 

Steve crossed his arms, a knowing expression on his face. “The Avengers aren’t a good idea? Or you and I aren’t a good idea?”

Steve knew, he always knew. 

“I just…” Tony ran a hand through his dark hair and gripped it tightly. “I don’t want to hurt you. I know I have, many times in the past, more times than I can remember. When you and I are together...it just sort of happens.”

Steve gently gripped Tony's chin and lifted it upward, looking right at him as he spoke. “You’re right. There have been times where we’ve disagreed, and it’s definitely had some pretty rough endings. But there have been even more times where we’ve been together, and we’ve done great. We started the Avengers in the beginning, and we’ve brought it back every time its fallen. Together. Despite all the trials and tribulations we’ve had, it’s always been worth it - you’ve always been worth it.”

Steve always did have a way with words. Words that inspired him and relaxed him, words he had ignored far too many times in the past. Ignoring Steve's words were what caused him to make some of his most egregious sins. He couldn’t afford to ignore him again, it wasn’t worth it.

It was never worth it.

“I really hate how almost every single time I set my mind to something, you come in and try to convince me of the exact opposite.” Tony shook his head, the feelings of apprehension still with him. “I don’t know, what if I...what if you...”

“We don’t have any way of knowing the future, Tony, you can’t be worrying all the 'what-ifs'. And last I checked, you were a futurist. You don’t just wait for the future to happen, you build your own,” Steve encouraged, his pride for Tony evident in his voice. “You might not know, but I do. I know this is supposed to happen. I mean come on, you, me, Thor, the three of us back in action at the same time? That’s a sign if I ever saw one. This /is/ our time. You just gotta trust me, shellhead.”

Shellhead. How long had it been since he heard his nickname? Tony finally looked up at Steve and into his always welcoming blue eyes. In them, he saw hope; the same hope he had seen years ago when the team first found Steve and welcomed him back into the world. It was the greatest day of Tony's life, the day he gave Steve a home, and the day Steve gave him hope, for the wellbeing of both humanity and himself.

Despite the years that had passed since, the worlds and minds that had been destroyed and rebuilt, the precious memory was still clear as day, and he’d reboot his mind a thousand times over if necessary to keep it that way. Fortunately, it was forever preserved in the beautiful azure eyes of a living legend. They were the eyes that forever made him believe; in the team, in their relationship, in himself. He wanted to believe again, he needed to believe again.

Shellhead needed Winghead.

“I swear, I thought I’d be immune to all of your jargon about hope and trust by now, it’s practically the same speech every time. But damn...it still works.” Tony smiled, finding true solace for the first time since his awakening, and of course it was because of Steve Rogers. “I mean it when I say we can’t fight. The team suffers and falls apart when we do. We even so much as fight once and I am removing myself from the team.”

Steve smiled at Tony. “We won’t fight, I promise. Let’s consider it us turning over a new leaf. No secrets, no lies, no fighting. If you remember, there was a time when we didn’t fight at all.”

Tony raised an eyebrow at Steve, his smirk widening. “Because we took out our frustrations in /other/ ways.”

“You know, I think that was they key to our success,” Steve said with a wink.

God, was he dreaming? Was Steve really suggesting that they rekindle the sexual side of their relationship in order to ensure the success of the new team? Or were delusions a side effect of a biological reboot?

Or perhaps this truly was a fresh start, a new beginning rooted in sweet memories and ideas from simpler times, back before all of the lies and betrayals, back when Steve had been his. Tony knew if they wanted to return to those days, their glory days together, rushing into bed was not the way to get there. This was a reconciliation he could not afford to mess up.

“Oh that was /definitely/ why we were successful, no arguments here, trust me," Tony said, chuckling. "However, I think it might have to come a little bit later. For now, let’s focus on catching up, I feel like I hardly know you these days.” 

Steve nodded understandingly. “When you’re right, you’re right, as much as I hate admitting it.”

“You’ve admitted it several times, I keep a record.” Tony rose to his feet, his arms reaching upward to stretch. “You said something about Thor being at a bar, right? I’d love to see him.”

Steve nodded. “Yes, Thor is at the bar. We should join him and talk about the team, so far it’s just the three of us.”

“For now, maybe that’s as big as it needs to be.” Tony thought about the three of them as a team. And it just felt right. Nerve-wracking as hell, but right. “I still don’t like it much, Steve, I’m still nervous about this all blowing up in our faces. But...”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “But?”

“...I’m willing to try - the Avengers, us, all of it. We’re only half as good when we’re apart. I know I’m at my best, that we are at our best, when we are with eachother,” Tony said, practically beaming at Steve.

“I'll say it again, but don't get too used to it - when you're right, you're right. Let’s do it then, let's be at our best together,” Steve hesitated, seeming like he was lost in thought. Before Tony could ask him what was wrong, Steve’s lips were against his, the curious arm tightening around his waist.

Tony kissed back. It wasn’t necessarily a hot or sensual kiss, but it was a powerful one. The first kiss they shared in years, one that would hopefully be the start of a new era for them.

An era where they did no lie to one and other or tear each other down. An era where they were together, both as teammates and as lovers. An era where they were at their strongest. Shellhead and Winghead, reunited and ready to take on the world.

It was not just a kiss, it was a promise. A promise Tony only hoped he would be able to keep.


End file.
